Illinois lawmakers approved a 66 percent increase in the state income tax in the early morning hours of January 12, part of a dramatic effort to address the state's critical budget crisis. The Democrat-controlled legislature passed the increase at the tail end of a lame duck session, with some lawmakers who supported the measure scheduled to leave office hours later when a new General Assembly was sworn in.

Today's scheduled healthcare repeal vote was postponed in the House of Representatives immediately following Saturday's shootings that killed six and left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords hospitalized with critical injuries. Some are wondering, however, whether Saturday's shooting -- said to be inspired by anger over healthcare and illegal immigration -- will change the debate over the healthcare repeal.

It was only a matter of time before Saturday's shooting in Arizona prompted calls for gun regulations. Unfortunately, the calls go far beyond restrictions on guns. Democrats in Congress are now calling for a ban on "threatening language or symbols" as well.

The question sounds like a joke, made up by one of the talented writers for Comedy Central’s Daily Show itself: Is the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart the journalistic reincarnation of Edward R. Murrow? But this was the serious question posed by New York Times writers Bill Carter and Brian Stelter on December 27, after Stewart rallied the media toward granting federal healthcare funding for September 11 first responders.

Though the GOP was predicted to give the position of the new chairman of the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on immigration, citizenship, and other related issues to Representative Steve King of Iowa, they instead chose California Representative Elton Gallegly, believing him to be less of a liability in the 2012 elections. Though King was a top Republican on the immigration subcommittee, Republican Representative Steve King was likely rejected for the position as a result of his controversial proposal for the border fence. The Blaze reports, Republicans eliminated a potential liability with Latino voters Friday by refusing to give the top spot on an immigration subcommittee to a congressman who once proposed stopping illegal immigrants with an electrified fence.

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On Saturday in Tucson, Arizona 22-year-old Jared Loughner opened fire outside a Safeway grocery store and killed six people and injured at least 15 others, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) who was appearing at an outreach event organized by her office.

When the new House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (left, R-Wis.) announced that his budget committee would produce budgets for the agencies of the Executive Branch “that assume Obamacare has been repealed,” Ryan was using the most effective limitation provided by the Founders to keep the Executive Branch under control: its funding.

In an Internet video piece dated September 27, 2010 which recently made the rounds of conservative media, AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka explains his union's intention to be a tool for social change and to bring about a "progressive America."

Thirteen years ago Massachusetts enacted a constitutional provision which required an adjustment in the pay of state legislators and other elected state officials based upon the rise, or fall, of the median household income in the Commonwealth. That income declined by .5% over the period of time used in the estimate. What is the result? Ordinary members of the Massachusetts Legislature have had their yearly salary of $61,440 reduced by a whopping $307.

In response to evidence that rank-and-file members and supervisors within the New York City Department of Sanitation intentionally refused to carry out their duties after the recent blizzard as a way to protest Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s policies, the New York City Council is launching hearings on Monday January 10 into the matter. Prompted by the uncovering of damning evidence by Queens Councilman Dan Halloran, the Council is holding two citywide oversight hearings, as well as a series of public hearings to fully gauge the impact of the sanitation department and union’s failure to adequately respond to the crippling snowstorm.

The new session of the U.S. House of Representatives read the full text of the U.S. Constitution on the House floor January 6, the first time the full text of the 1787 document had ever been read on the floor, congressional historians told the Associated Press. But the liberal media used the occasion to ridicule the very idea of taking the founding document seriously.